The present invention relates in general to shower systems, and more particularly to an apparatus for converting a normal shower into a steam, sauna and massage facility.
Several shower systems have been developed in the art. For example, U.S. Pub. No. 20060248640 to Leong discloses an apparatus able to convert a conventional stall shower into a multi-purpose shower facility, including a steam bath, a handheld shower, a water massage and a rain shower. It can be used with either single water input line or two separate hot and cold water input lines. The single water input line fit with the single output line of a common stall shower. To match different situations, two types of steam generator are also disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,891 to Kulde discloses a shower spray massage-sauna equipment suitable for installation into existing bathrooms by adding a water diverter valve between the shower head and the shower arm pipe and using a connecting hose to direct the water from the shower head to the shower spray massage-sauna spray arm. This spray arm is mounted on the wall opposite to the shower water control valves to allow the user to sit on a seat and to control the temperature and the force of the water. This spray arm also supports the flexible body enclosing cover and is adjustable to suit the height of the person using it. The cover has a round opening for the head at the top and partable opening at the front to permit the entry and the exit of the user. This equipment can be left in the bathroom in the non-use position or it can be easily removed to allow the normal use of the bathtub or the shower.
U.S. Pub. No. 20060207014 to DeBoer discloses a shower system that provides a corner shower unit which includes a track defined along a vertical height thereof. A lumbar support and a multitude of showerheads are mounted to the track for vertical adjustment. The lumbar support permits a bather standing in the shower to lean against the lumbar support while a multitude of spray jets provide a massage action directly to the bather. A steam generation system is incorporated into the corner shower unit to mist steam from steam ports such that the shower may also be utilized as a steam room. However, the above apparatuses have different setup for providing steam bath and body massage compared to the present invention.
The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for converting a normal shower into a multi-purpose facility with steam, sauna and massage features. The apparatus also includes entertainment and communication features such as radio, telephone and input sockets for audio or video devices. Other objects of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the appended Summary, Description, and Claims.